A buoyancy compensator, buoyancy control device, BC, BCD, stabilizer, or the like, is typically a piece of diving equipment with an inflatable bladder worn by divers to establish neutral buoyancy underwater and positive buoyancy on the surface, when desired. In a Buoyancy Compensation Device (“BCD”), the buoyancy is typically controlled by adjusting the volume of air in the bladder. The bladder is typically filled with gas from the diver's primary breathing gas cylinder via a hose from the regulator first stage, directly from a small cylinder dedicated to this purpose, or from the diver's mouth through the oral inflation valve. A means to add gas to a bladder in the BCD enables the diver's buoyancy to be increased, and vent valves allow gas to be discharged to reduce the diver's buoyancy through a reduction in the water volume displaced by the bladder.
Control of a diving buoyancy compensator is typically manual, and adjustment is required throughout a dive as the diver's weight reduces with gas consumption, and the buoyancy of the diving suit varies with depth as it compresses due to water pressure.
In aquatic applications, structures are often built to achieve various tasks. For example, in aquaculture or “fish farming”, fish pens may be built and tethered in the open ocean to raise fish for market. Such aquaculture structures may be anchored in place and raised and lowered by mechanical equipment, such as wenches and the like. Buoyancy may be provided by floats and the like to keep the structures from sinking. Also such structures may also be constructed to raise shellfish, seaweed and the like that may be of commercial value. In the course of operation of such structures, it may be desirable from time to time to raise and lower them in the water.
In other aquatic applications structures may be employed to raise and lower, and otherwise recover objects from the sea floor. In such applications, winches and other mechanical methods may be utilized to bring the object to the surface. In such applications, such as ship recovery, a bag may be inserted in a ship's hold and inflated to displace the water and raise the ship. However, in the applications described above, little control over buoyancy is provided and the control when provided tends to require direct involvement by an operator or other personnel. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide equipment and methods to control buoyancy in these applications that is capable of automatically and remotely controlling buoyancy to raise and lower such aquatic structures.
As can be seen from the paragraphs above, a buoyancy compensator can be a valuable piece of equipment during a dive as it allows a diver to adjust his or her buoyance in order to achieve positive, negative, or neutral buoyancy depending upon conditions sensed or programmed into the buoyancy compensating device. There are other applications where it may be advantageous to construct structures or equipment for aquatic use in which the buoyancy of such structures may be controlled based on a desired set of conditions. In particular, buoyancy control that could be applied in such buoyancy controlled structures to raise and lower the structure its self in the water, raise and lower objects in the water that have been captured by the structure, or otherwise position the structure at varying depths in the water. It would be advantageous if a buoyancy compensator and its associated components could be used in such applications to adjust buoyancy for such structures. It would be of further advantage if such buoyancy compensators could be programmed and/or remotely controlled so that they operate autonomously and/or remotely.